As a working woman, I often think about what I’ll do if I decide to have kids in the future. The fact remains that woman overwhelmingly do the majority of the housework, spend more time with the kids, and are still expected to work their day jobs.
I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds like a recipe for divorce.
Women don’t have it easy. While I would like to take some time off to raise my children, I also value my career. And I find it unlikely that I would be able to pick up where I left off once I’m ready to go back into the workforce.
There’s a reason why working mums and stay at home mums are still giving each other the side eye. Each believes that the other either has it better, or are giving up something precious for their decision. It’s impossible to truly have it all.
For this reason, I plan to have household staff. There are thousands of qualified nannies and experienced housekeepers who find work through a household staff agency, and are available to work for you and your family. Imagine knowing that the kids are safe and spending time with someone they see as part of the family while you’re at work. Or returning home to find that the house is clean, the laundry has been done, and the groceries are packed away so you can spend some quality time with the kids.
When women are expected to do everything, they end up feeling exhausted, stressed, and burnt-out. Their careers and relationships will often suffer, and they’ll often end up feeling resentful of their partner, particularly if they’re not pulling their weight.
I personally need a lot of sleep. I’m talking 8 hours as a minimum. If I don’t get enough snooze time I get grumpy. And then I get weepy. And then my immune system packs up and falls apart and I end up with strep throat. It happens every time.
For this reason, I just can’t imagine myself running myself into the ground and trying to be superwoman. As a millennial, I’ve learned to expect more from life, and while many women are worried that they would be judged by other women for hiring help, the younger generation is all about enjoying life while they can.
The fact that I was born with a uterus, does not mean that I need to run myself into the ground trying to be a career woman, mum, cleaner, and cook. I want to have a successful marriage one day, which means I don’t want to be continually fighting over who’s turn it is to do the dishes, or wondering if my husband will remember to pick the kids up from school if I have to work late.
I worked as an Au Pair and was made to feel part of the family. I fully intend to do the same with any household staff I hire, and I’m looking forward to having a more relaxed kind of life than many women have had.